Nobody's Ol' Lady

It's easy to say that this shirt quickly became one of my favorites. I saw a version of it on one of the many Instagram motorcycle/western style accounts I follow and they were selling it for something I felt was a little steep. I turned to eBay and there it was! For a fraction of the cost!

The Long Weekend

Everything is so green. Spring is wonderful, right? I love that Memorial Day weekend sort of 'kicks off' summer. It's always nice to start on a good note — cookouts, ping pong tournaments (yes), and puppies. We got some fresh rain, but not enough to hinder outdoor plans and motorcycle rides.

#FBF // Highschool Was How Long Ago?

I was spacing out and thinking about who-knows-what the other day when I realized that this year is my ten-year high school reunion. What the hey? And so then I thought it might be fun to resurrect the old #FBF post for some embarrassing photos of my high school experience. But there's one problem.

I don't really have many.

So when I was a teenager, I had bad acne and I was kind of chubby and as most 15-18 year olds, I was self conscious about it. I hardly have any photos of myself from around that time, especially when I was at my heaviest! In retrospect it really sucks. But also, I was still shooting film cameras until around 2004, so overall my amount of photos is drastically less.

Isn't it strange how much has changed in ten years? Like, when I was in high school, working in social media wasn't even a career because MySpace had barely even become a thing yet. I had a blog in high school and I'm sure it was the sort of whiney-complainy read that you may find on my Twitter feed. Hah! But all jokes aside... click through for the few embarrassing photos I have of my high school experience.

Silver Screen Style // Mad Max: Fury Road

I never thought I'd be putting together a Silver Screen Style post for an action movie. But this weekend I saw Mad Max: Fury Road, and it is probably one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. I went in expecting to enjoy it from a special-effects-exploding-stuff sort of way, but came out of it totally amazed. I really had no idea what to expect as the plot before hand and was blown away while watching the storyline of heavy feminism undertones unfold before me. I highly recommend checking it out!

As for the, err, fashion (or anti-fashion?), the story is set in a post-apocolyptic world. There are no wardrobe changes, everyone is dirty, and everyone is blowing things up. Regardless, the costume design is very detailed. The contrast between Furiosa and the 'Wives' was great!

What I Wore // International Fluevog Day

How many times can I say that I love shoes? 'Cause... I love shoes. I was stoked to be asked to host International Fluevog Day at the Chicago location. I've been drooling over metallic oxfords for a long time and look at these. Oh my goodness.

May Shop My Closet Sale

It's that time again! The Shop My Closet sale! If you see something you want, send me an email with your PayPal address plus the item(s) you want and I'll shoot you the invoice. US Shipping is included with all of the prices — let me know if you're international and we'll figure out the shipping fee. As items sell, this post will be updated to reflect which items are no longer available. If it's here, it's for sale! Click through for the full listing and hurry — things go fast! Check out the July Shop My Closet sale!

Beehive In Bloom 2015

Last year I had the opportunity to attend the Beehive in Bloom vintage fashion show as a spectator. This year, I was honored to not only be invited as a stylist, but as a model as well.

In My World

Going to this Free People x Polaroid event was like a little time warp. I arrived, walked through the store, and headed to the event space in the back lot. There was a band set up and food and lots of well-dressed ladies. In short, it reminded me so much of my days working for Urban Outfitters and traveling to our SXSW Showcases. It was all of the fun with none of the responsibility! Hah! And at the end of the day, I do normally prefer Free People's aesthetic over Urban's, so it was very welcoming. Plus, check out these pillows!

Silver Screen Style // Legally Blonde

This movie came out when I was in middle school. Granted, at the time I think I passed it off as another one of those teen movies that was surely awful (also, the Photoshop job of Reese Witherspoon on the original movie poster is a travesty!). Lots of time passed before I actually watched it and — hey! — it's actually a pretty great movie.

Now, I don't really shop for pink. I have a few dusty pink items. I think Reese looks really fabulous in hot pink and it's one of the few times I can really get behind this look! Plus, how could you not love seeing Elle tell Warner to GTFO?

Review // Pixi Box

The lovely folks over at Pixi by Petra sent me a little lovely little box with a few products for me to try out and review. And, dang, they must know me well — eyeliners and a brow palette? Right up my alley! See the full review after the jump.

Reasons to Love Mondays

Can a person be an advocate for something as silly as loving Mondays? If so, I am. The beginning of the week is so exciting for me. On Mondays I get to plan and layout the upcoming calendar. I find organizing to be very therapeutic — especially now that I have blog responsibility and job responsibilities.

There are plenty of reasons for everyone to love Mondays. Mondays mean fresh starts. It's a new chapter. If you're a weekend warrior, Mondays can mean a few days of relaxing. Snuggle up, cook good food, and watch a movie. Ride your bicycle to the office if you have the privilege to do so — it's a great way to stay healthy and green. We can enjoy Mancrush Mondays. I even look forward to Instagram announcing their selections for their Weekend Hashtag projects. New episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Veep and Silicon Valley hit HBOGo on Mondays. The stores are less crowded, so I find that Mondays are the best days to hit the grocery, the laundromat, the thrift stores, and the boutiques.

And of course, storytelling.

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On Mondays you can catch up with everywhere — what did your friends and coworkers do this weekend? Maybe they went somewhere new or tried a new restaurant. There might be that one person in your office who has the key info to the best patios in your city. That means that you could have one new place to try the coming weekend!

This past weekend was a little different for me. On Saturday I walked in a vintage fashion show (!!!) and met a lot of new ladies. Isn't that a great feeling? I love meeting new people. I can't wait to share images of the fashion show with you all in a few days.

And speaking of meeting new people, on Friday I was flattered (well, beyond) to be selected as an Instagram Suggested User. Many of my inspiring friends who are great photographers have been featured and I'm so blown away to be a part of that list. Over the course of a few days, I've gained thousands of followers – both daunting and exciting! I hope to live up to the honor!

Isn't it weird that a little iPhone app that sort of changed my life? I was one of the early adopters for Instagram, downloading it just three days after its release. My Instagram presence existed before this blog and was certainly a catalyst for Mini Penny. So I owe Instagram a big thanks!

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With that being said, how did y'all spend yours? Next week we start the Farmer's Market in my neighborhood, so my Sunday will be filled with fresh veggies and fruits and flowers and familiar faces. I also have my International Fluevog Day event this Friday — hope all of you Chicago friends can make it!

Join Me For International Fluevog Day!

I love how much the calendar fills up come spring and summer time. I'm pretty pumped to be hosting an event at Fluevog Chicago to celebrate International Fluevog Day!

Join me Friday May, 15th for treats and music and shopping at 1539 North Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park. I'll be there from 5-7pm, but all day you can enjoy 15% off all regular price items at every John Fluevog store in the world! Refreshments will be provided by Sweet Cakes Bakery.

I hope to see you there!

Garfield Park

Continuing with my brother's weekend visit, I took him to a place that is quickly becoming one of my favorite city getaways: the Garfield Park Conservatory. I first visited this place with The Guy back in January and it was such a fantastic little paradise.

Reunited

The weather and family aligned in the most perfect way this weekend! Chicago finally got our dose of spring and my brother came to town for a work conference — and thankfully came in a few days early so that we could hang out and so that I could show him around.